Water And Life On Mars, page 3
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reply posted on 4-8-2011 @ 04:01 PM by TupacShakur
reply to post by OuttaTime


Great info. I hypothesized to myself that Mars was once a thriving planet, and may have suffered a global cataclysm from a major CME that swept away the atmosphere and disrupted the geomagnetic field. Surface water would have evaporated away leaving behind only permafrost, which slowly began to surface and melt.
Yeah most astronomers agree that the water is gone now because the core began to solidify, weakening the magnetic field and allowing the atmosphere to be stripped away.

It would be really cool if life actually developed on Mars first and somehow made it over to Earth, maybe when a meteorite tossed a bunch of debris into space, and one of the rocks contained some bacteria or something that survived the trip through space.


reply posted on 4-8-2011 @ 04:10 PM by OuttaTime
Originally posted by TupacShakur
reply to post by OuttaTime


Great info. I hypothesized to myself that Mars was once a thriving planet, and may have suffered a global cataclysm from a major CME that swept away the atmosphere and disrupted the geomagnetic field. Surface water would have evaporated away leaving behind only permafrost, which slowly began to surface and melt.
Yeah most astronomers agree that the water is gone now because the core began to solidify, weakening the magnetic field and allowing the atmosphere to be stripped away.

It would be really cool if life actually developed on Mars first and somehow made it over to Earth, maybe when a meteorite tossed a bunch of debris into space, and one of the rocks contained some bacteria or something that survived the trip through space.


Having an accurate history would be incredibly helpful in these times. All we have is a few facts and a boatload of theories about ancient life on mars. It only takes a few thousand years for most everything to decompose (besides rocks and mummies), and since Mars has been exposed to some astral hostilities and unrelenting solar activity, much of what was... will never be found. We could assume an equal amount of thinking about Venus as well. We do know that CMEs if strong and focused enough, can be planet killers. The mysteries are, did they happen, and when? Were they in a similar point of orbit if/when it happened? Precisely what kind of life was destroyed, and who/what could have survived? Cleary if it happened millions of years ago, time and decay would scrub prime indicators.
We have more questions than answers anymore


reply posted on 13-9-2011 @ 01:24 PM by CanuckTruthSeeker
reply to post by TupacShakur


looking at those pictures from the nasa website my first thoughts were if it was a seasonal thing maybe heat from the sun during summer months draws water closer to the surface, creating those darker lines.
And this might seem like a dumb question but i know that water has certain "sticky" qualities to it, so would it be possible if water rose nearer to the surface during warmer seasons that sediments and residues could be brought up towards the surface as well?


reply posted on 14-11-2011 @ 07:16 PM by Ilyich
Originally posted by Skywatcher2011
reply to post by TupacShakur


Thank you for the copious amount of detail in your post. Also it was a great read! Loved the pictures. But your fourth last picture of how Mars would have looked like with the water and atmosphere draws a close resemblance to environmental conditions on Earth.

I just wonder how it was made possible that Mars dried up like a prune and into dust?! Was it too close to the Sun? Did asteroids blast it a few times to create high heat conditions thus vaporizing life on the planet? Or did a higher level civilization of aliens with huge motherships suck up the physical contents on the planet thus making it uninhabitable? The theories are boundless!

*SnF*
edit on 9-7-2011 by Skywatcher2011 because: added word


He explained that, as mars' liquid iron core cooled it lost it's magnetic field, thus reducing surface pressures and protection from solar radiation. Then over time various gasses were essentially released from Mars. Think of a helium balloon. Over time the balloon will stop floating but still appear inflated. This is because the pressure of the helium balloons we have all had as kids. Over time the helium escapes leaving behind the heavier less excitable gasses and the balloon goes limp. Now with Mars that magnetic field keeps the gasses that could have supported water as well as life from escaping by keeping them under constant pressure and preventing Solar radiation from over heating and exciting these particles. At least this is my understanding. With the collapse of the Magnetic field the gasses/atmosphere escapes. Leaving mars with it's thin atmosphere and milder climate. If I'm wrong someone please correct me but this is my understanding of what was said.


reply posted on 7-1-2012 @ 05:17 AM by open768
reply to post by tom502


I found a picture from Mars global surveyor of what looks like a stream


full picture here:


(Mars Global Surveyor Images courtesy of Malin Space Science Systems)


reply posted on 7-1-2012 @ 07:11 AM by dcmb1409
Facts and theories of how Mars evolved from its beginning to its present surface and atmospheric conditions.

Recent studies support a theory, first proposed in the 1980s, that Mars was struck by a Pluto-sized meteor about four billion years ago. The event, thought to be the cause of the Martian hemispheric dichotomy, created the smooth Borealis basin that covers 40% of the planet.[21][2 Mars lost its magnetosphere 4 billion years ago, so the solar wind interacts directly with the Martian ionosphere, keeping the atmosphere thinner than it would otherwise be by stripping away atoms from the outer layer. Both Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Express have detected these ionised atmospheric particles trailing off into space behind Mars.[54][55] The atmosphere of Mars is now relatively thin.


Source: flaggedrevs.labs.wikimedia.org...

Age estimation of Mars

A relatively large number of meteorites have been found on Earth. Each has been tested along with various rocks that are original to our planet. Samples from the Moon were tested as well. The results all show an approximate age of 4.6 billion years. That has led scientist to state that all of the material(this includes planets) in the Solar System is 4.6 billion years old. So, by extrapolation, the answer to ”how old is Mars?” is 4.6 billion years old.

Source: www.universetoday.com...

Surface Gravity

Metric: 3.71 m/s2
English: 12.2 ft/s2
By Comparison: If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 38 pounds on Mars.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of Mars is quite different from that of Earth. It is composed primarily of carbon dioxide with small amounts of other gases. The six most common components of the atmosphere are: Carbon Dioxide (CO2): 95.32% Nitrogen (N2): 2.7% Argon (Ar): 1.6% Oxygen (O2): 0.13% Water (H2O): 0.03% Neon (Ne): 0.00025 %


source: www.solarviews.com...

Temperature ranges:

the average temperature on Mars is about 218 K (-55 C, -67 F), Martian surface temperatures range widely from as little as 140 K (-133 C, -207 F) at the winter pole to almost 300 K (27 C, 80 F) on the day side during summer.

Source: nineplanets.org...

Magnetic field to green house effect:

Although Mars has no evidence of structured global magnetic field,[17] observations show that parts of the planet's crust have been magnetized and that alternating polarity reversals of its dipole field have occurred. This paleomagnetism of magnetically susceptible minerals has properties that are very similar to the alternating bands found on the ocean floors of Earth. One theory, published in 1999 and re-examined in October 2005 (with the help of the Mars Global Surveyor), is that these bands demonstrate plate tectonics on Mars 4 billion years ago, before the planetary dynamo ceased to function and caused the planet's magnetic field to fade away.[18] Most of these point to wet episodes that occurred only briefly and very long ago; the age of the erosion channels is estimated at about nearly 4 billion years. However, images from Mars Express released in early 2005 show what appears to be a frozen sea that was liquid very recently (maybe 5 million years ago). Confirmation of this interpretation would be a very big deal indeed! (Valles Marineris was NOT created by running water. It was formed by the stretching and cracking of the crust associated with the creation of the Tharsis bulge.) Mars has a very thin atmosphere composed mostly of the tiny amount of remaining carbon dioxide (95.3%) plus nitrogen (2.7%), argon (1.6%) and traces of oxygen (0.15%) and water (0.03%). The average pressure on the surface of Mars is only about 7 millibars (less than 1% of Earth's), but it varies greatly with altitude from almost 9 millibars in the deepest basins to about 1 millibar at the top of Olympus Mons. But it is thick enough to support very strong winds and vast dust storms that on occasion engulf the entire planet for months. Mars' thin atmosphere produces a greenhouse effect but it is only enough to raise the surface temperature by 5 degrees (K); much less than what we see on Venus and Earth.


Source: flaggedrevs.labs.wikimedia.org...

Craters:

A person could write an entire ebook just listing the named craters on Mars. Hopefully, you have an idea of how cratered the planet’s surface is. It is almost impossible to describe in one article. Talk about a beat up surface. There are hundreds of thousands of craters on Mars, including 43,000 that are 5 kilometers in diameter or larger.


source: www.universetoday.com...

cont:
edit on 7-1-2012 by dcmb1409 because: (no reason given)



reply posted on 7-1-2012 @ 07:16 AM by dcmb1409
Radiation:

Over the course of about 18 months, Mars Odyssey detected ongoing radiation levels which are 2.5 times higher than the astronauts experience on the International Space Station – 22 millirad per day. The spacecraft also detected 2 solar proton events, where radiation levels peaked about 2,000 millirads in a day, and a few other events that got up to about 100 millirads.


source: www.universetoday.com...

Note: for comparison an average chest x ray delivers about 10 millirads.


source: hps.org...

Magnetosphere

Mars lost its magnetosphere 4 billion years ago, so the solar wind interacts directly with the Martian ionosphere, keeping the atmosphere thinner than it would otherwise be by stripping away atoms from the outer layer. Both Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Express have detected these ionised atmospheric particles trailing off into space behind Mars.[54][55] The atmosphere of Mars is now relatively thin. Atmospheric pressure on the surface varies from around 30 Pa (0.03 kPa) on Olympus Mons to over 1,155 Pa (1.155 kPa) in the depths of Hellas Planitia, with a mean surface level pressure of 600 Pa (0.6 kPa). Mars's mean surface pressure equals the pressure found 35 km above the Earth's surface. This is less than 1% of the surface pressure on Earth (101.3 kPa). The scale height of the atmosphere, about 11 km, is higher than Earth's (6 km) due to the lower gravity. Mars' gravity is only about 38% of the surface gravity on Earth.


Martian hemispheric dichotomy theory:

Recent studies support a theory, first proposed in the 1980s, that Mars was struck by a Pluto-sized meteor about four billion years ago. The event, thought to be the cause of the Martian hemispheric dichotomy, created the smooth Borealis basin that covers 40% of the planet.[21][2


Dust storms:

During a pole's winter, it lies in continuous darkness, chilling the surface and causing 25–30% of the atmosphere to condense out into thick slabs of CO2 ice (dry ice).[61] When the poles are again exposed to sunlight, the frozen CO2 sublimes, creating enormous winds that sweep off the poles as fast as 400 km/h. These seasonal actions transport large amounts of dust and water vapor, giving rise to Earth-like frost and large cirrus clouds. Clouds of water-ice were photographed by the Opportunity rover in 2004.[62] Mars also has the largest dust storms in our Solar System. These can vary from a storm over a small area, to gigantic storms that cover the entire planet. They tend to occur when Mars is closest to the Sun, and have been shown to increase the global temperature.[65]


flaggedrevs.labs.wikimedia.org...


All of this information is why I do not believe that Mars ever evolved an advance civilization unless it was greatly sped up in evolution and then wiped out in a blink of the eye
edit on 7-1-2012 by dcmb1409 because: (no reason given)



reply posted on 7-1-2012 @ 11:06 AM by dcmb1409
And finally the Methane argument:

Mars today is a world of cold and lonely deserts, apparently without life of any kind, at least on the surface. Worse still, it looks like Mars has been cold and dry for billions of years, with an atmosphere so thin, any liquid water on the surface quickly boils away while the sun's ultraviolet radiation scorches the ground. New research reveals there is hope for Mars yet. The first definitive detection of methane in the atmosphere of Mars indicates the planet is still alive, in either a biologic or geologic sense, according to a team of NASA and university scientists.


source:www.nasa.gov...

Methane...Signs of life?

Methane plumes were observed back in 2003 and it has not been determined if its biological as on Earth or from Martian geology.


It's of interest to astrobiologists because organisms release much of Earth's methane as they digest nutrients. However, other purely geological processes, like oxidation of iron, also release methane. "Right now, we don’t have enough information to tell if biology or geology -- or both -- is producing the methane on Mars," said Mumma. At northern mid-summer, methane is released at a rate comparable to that of the massive hydrocarbon seep at Coal Oil Point in Santa Barbara, Calif."


source:www.nasa.gov...

Many question as yet unanswered but I hope that the Curiosity rover lands safely and returns data for years to come.



reply posted on 9-1-2012 @ 05:38 AM by open768
Originally posted by open768
reply to post by tom502


I found a picture from Mars global surveyor of what looks like a stream


full picture here:


(Mars Global Surveyor Images courtesy of Malin Space Science Systems)


heres the image - please can someone tell me I'm not going mad that there is a stream here

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